


sometimes moving forward doesn't mean we leave behind what we're carrying in our heart

by Dinosaur1212



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I will always mention how Josie is a pyro, Jandon breakup woot woot, Mentions of Hope and Freya, One Shot, based off of something on twitter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2019-11-15
Packaged: 2021-01-31 03:36:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21439585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dinosaur1212/pseuds/Dinosaur1212
Summary: How 2x05 should've gone mayhaps
Relationships: Penelope Park & Josie Saltzman, Penelope Park/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 4
Kudos: 223





	sometimes moving forward doesn't mean we leave behind what we're carrying in our heart

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So 2x05 was interesting, we collected out Penelope breadcrumbs, and they were good ones this time. Anyways, I saw the suggestion for this on Twitter, and I knew I had to write it, so I hope you enjoy!

Josie was getting frustrated waiting for Landon. She couldn’t understand why it was taking him so long to go find a condom. In fact, she couldn’t believe he had forgotten one; it was a common must-have. As it stood, she was moving around on the bed, trying to figure out how she should lay for when Landon came back. That is, until she heard what sounded like something scuttling around.

Getting off of her bed, she went to look under where the noise was coming from, saying with annoyance in her voice, “I have been listening to your tiny little rat claws for months now.” By this time she was bending over so she could see what was making the noise when she saw it. And suddenly she was hit with a wave of emotions. Grief. Hurt. Anger. That feeling of abandonment. Josie felt all of these as she pulled out the journal that had belonged to Penelope.

Ever since Penelope had left, Josie had been carefully—and effectively—been burying her feelings for Penelope, because Penelope had left, giving this journal to her as she went. A journal she had used to spy on the entire school, but had learned about the Merge in the process. A giant bomb she had left Josie with as she left. For months Josie had tried to figure out why Penelope had done everything she had done, but she had only been able to figure out a few things. Everything else was a huge mystery. So Josie had buried her feelings so that she could move on with her life. Sure, a part of her knew it was a terrible decision, but she was finally moving on, she had Landon now. Landon who seemed to be more intrigued by that girl Hope than he was with her now. She knew she was jealous of Hope, and a part of her knew that’s why she had been trying so hard to have sex with Landon. A part of her hated how she was acting, she had never felt this way with Penelope she begrudgingly admitted to herself.

Taking the journal back to her bed, she smiled down at the sticker Penelope had put on it. Of course it had to be fire related, Penelope always knew how much Josie liked fire. Granted, Penelope had first-hand experience at how much she loved fire. Setting Penelope on fire was a weak point in her life she would willingly admit, but not many people knew that it was her that had set Penelope on fire. Pushing aside her thoughts of Penelope, she carefully opened the journal to see words being written across the page as someone wrote about their costume for the dance. A part of her wondered who it was, but she realized that knowing wouldn’t do her much good. So the next logical thing for her to do was to turn the page, and she was met by all too familiar writing. She could tell right away that it was a note, and of course it was addressed to her. She happened to notice that it was dated three days after Penelope had left. Debating whether or not to read what was written, Josie caved and started reading.

_ Dear Jojo, _

_ I know that me leaving the way I did was extremely stupid. If I could do it over I could. I never would’ve written that letter, instead I would’ve told you to your face that I was leaving. Looking back, it would’ve been the right decision to make, but I was scared to tell you. It’s hard to tell someone you love that you’re leaving, especially when that person is also your ex. This is also a lame excuse, but it was hard to tell you, because I know you hate when people leave, so I made the selfish decision and wrote a letter. I know I hurt you by leaving, and I’ve regretted it every day since I’ve left, and it has only been three days. I did make sure of one thing, however, I made sure Hope would check in on you to make sure you’re okay. I know you and Hope aren’t the closest of friends, but she’s a good person, and I know she’ll be there for you. At least as long as she isn’t too absorbed with Landon, because I’m assuming they’ll make up from their fight that I might have not so accidentally started. _

_ Anyways, I have no clue if you’ll ever even read what I’m writing, but I hope you do. And if you are reading this, I hope you can learn to forgive me for being the obnoxious, selfish, and evil person I am. I know you might regret saying those words to me, but they are accurate, you’re just the only person who ever got to see that those qualities were a façade I put up. You truly are the only person I ever let in. You’re the only person who knows who I really am; a hopeless romantic who sometimes fucks up in major ways. I’m sure you know what those major ways are.  _

_ Unfortunately, I have to go to a meeting about my school schedule, or else I would write more, because I have hope that you’ll read this. _

_ Sincerely yours, _

_ Penelope _

Josie could feel tears forming in her eyes at what Penelope had written. There was just one thing she didn’t understand, the fact that Penelope had mentioned Hope in her letter, and then the fact that Hope would be with Landon. None of it was making any sense, but deep down Josie had a feeling as to what had happened, but she hadn’t yet fully processed it. Instead, she went back to focusing on how Penelope had written to her, not knowing if she would ever read it. It was then that Josie truly understood just how deep Penelope’s love for her ran. Wiping at her eyes, she turned the page revealing another letter written in Penelope’s handwriting. This one was written a little over a week after the first one.

_ Dear Jojo, _

_ I don’t know if you’ve read the first letter or not, but even if you didn’t, I think writing like this to you is helpful for me. It helps me get out everything I feel more than I would be able to if this was in person. Again, a selfish decision, but old habits die hard I guess. If you have read the first letter and have been waiting for this one, I’m sorry it took so long. I got swamped with schoolwork, and then my mom decided it would be a fun idea to take me out of town for the weekend. The best part is, she didn’t even do anything with me, she just wanted me to show up for a work event, and then left me to fend for myself the rest of the time. I would’ve written then, but of course I didn’t have any of my pens on me, which really sucked.  _

_ In an attempt to move on from that mess, you would not believe how annoying the witches are here. And here I thought I would enjoy an all-witch school. Turns out, it’s just as bad, especially when they all try to flirt with me, or get me to hook up with them. To make matters worse, some of them can’t take no for an answer, no matter how many times I tell them that my whole heart already belongs to a brunette that may or may not set them on fire. I know that we aren’t really together, especially with how we left things, but I promise to talk more about that in my next letter. _

_ Sending my love, _

_ Penelope _

At this point, Josie could feel anger rising in her chest at how people were flirting with Penelope in Belgium, and she had to remind herself that she shouldn’t feel that way since she was technically dating Landon now. Hell, she was still waiting for him to come back with a condom, even though Josie knew she would probably send him away once he came back. The Hope mention in the first letter really threw her for a loop, and her feelings for Penelope that she thought she had buried weren’t helping either. She carefully turned the page and saw Penelope’s next letter which she started to read.

_ Jojo, _

_ Ever since I’ve come to Belgium I’ve been researching the Merge, and ways to stop it from happening. I know throwing the whole Merge thing at you when I left was foolish and wrong of me, but I’m hoping I can make up for it by finding a cure, even if it means missing a few classes here and there to follow up on leads. You living past your twenty-second birthday means everything to me, so you better believe I’ll put all my effort into making sure you see twenty-three. I have been in contact with this witch from New Orleans named Freya Mikaelson who has been helping me research, but this brings me to an even bigger issue. I have no recollection of ever coming into contact with her that I would know to talk to her, but we’ve been in correspondence since I’ve moved to Belgium. She has a lot of leads as to what can prevent the Merge, but so far none of them have proven to be helpful. I do have one theory on how I might have come into contact with her, and it also explains why I have no memory of it. _

_ I was reading over my first two letters before I wrote this one as I was trying to solve this mystery, and in my first letter I mentioned someone named Hope. For the life of me, I couldn’t recall ever knowing anyone named Hope, so I did what I do best. I read back through all my old journals, and I stumbled upon something. There was someone named Hope Mikaelson, and she’s a tribrid, the only one of her kind. Now as for why I can’t remember her, I can think of only one reason, Malivore. I don’t know what would’ve led to her entering Malivore, but it has to have been what happened, it’s the only explanation. From my reading of my journals, I was able to at least piece together that Freya is her aunt, and she is how I established contact with her. I have yet to bring this up with her though, because I don’t know what will happen if I do tell her. I’m really hoping you read this later, because I really need your help on what to do. You were always my voice of reason, and without you, I make horrible decisions. _

_ Love, _

_ Penelope _

Everything finally clicked in Josie’s brain after reading this letter. The reason why Landon seemed so attracted to Hope. The reason why Hope seemed familiar, but Josie was never able to figure out why. Landon had never done anything to destroy Malivore, it had been Hope, the girl no one remembered. Then Josie realized, much to both her dismay and excitement, that she would have to end her relationship with Landon, because he would never truly love her. And if she was being honest, she would never truly love him. He was just someone she was using to fill the Penelope-shaped hole in her heart, even though only Penelope herself could fill it. Josie could feel the tears forming again, because even though she knew she was going to be doing the right thing, she was still going to hurt Landon. She was about to flip to the next letter when she heard the door opening, so she quickly hid the journal.

“Say hello to my little friend,” Landon happily said, holding up the condom as he closed the door behind him and walked towards Josie. Sensing something was wrong, he asked, “Hey, is everything okay?”

Turning her head so she could look at Landon, Josie vocalised how she was feeling, “Actually, no. There’s something I need to tell you.” 

Concern was in Landon’s voice as he questioned, “What is it?”

Taking a deep breath, Josie began, “I can’t do this, any of this. I don’t think we’re ever going to workout, and it’s pointless to continue our relationship knowing this fact.” Josie looked away from Landon before adding, “Please just trust me when I say this. You should be with Hope. You two have barely interacted, and you already have more chemistry than we ever had. There’s something between you two, and you should really pursue it. Take her out for another milkshake, get to know her.” Josie nervously bit her lower lip while she waited for Landon to reply.

Landon was astonished by the turn in events which he voiced, “So just ten minutes ago we were about to have sex, but now you’re breaking up with me, saying I should go be with someone you’ve been incredibly jealous of?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. I can’t be in the way of two people who belong together,” Josie admitted, before also adding, “And I’m honestly the person in the way of being with the person I belong with. It just took me a while to realize that.”

Landon stood quietly in thought before saying in a subdued voice, “I should go.” Before Josie could respond, he was already gone, leaving behind Josie who finally let her tears out.

Josie knew that some of her tears were because of Landon, but she knew their main cause stemmed from what she had missed out on with Penelope. Pulling the journal back out, she skimmed through the rest of the letters. She learned how Penelope absolutely despised her school, because it lacked a certain pouty-faced brunette. She learned that Penelope was being fueled almost entirely on caffeine at this point, stemming from all the late-night research she was doing about the Merge. She learned that Penelope had also gotten in trouble for missing class due to her research, but that didn’t stop her from continuing to skip. She learned about all the little quirks she had that Penelope absolutely adored, Josie sensed the letters that mentioned these were written when Penelope was high. Penelope was like that when she was high, she would go on a rant of all the little things she loved about Josie. The one thing that caught Josie off guard in the letters was how Penelope wrote a lot more of her feelings as the letters progressed. Josie assumed that was because Penelope knew she wasn’t reading them, so she decided to use them as a way to get out her feelings.

As she read all these letters, all of Josie’s repressed feelings came to the surface, and she realized that she was no longer angry at Penelope. She finally accepted that she didn’t hate Penelope, and most importantly, she let in—and accepted—the fact that she was just as in love with Penelope as she had been when they were dating. Josie cried even harder when she realized this, because she knew she should’ve given Penelope one reason to stay. That would probably be her biggest regret in life, not giving Penelope the one reason she was looking for.

When she finally managed to stop crying, Josie set the journal down, and went to change into comfier clothes so that she could go to sleep because she was exhausted after learning and accepting everything that had happened. She was about to close the journal and put it on her nightstand when she heard the sound of writing. Curious, she turned the page and saw a new letter being written by Penelope, which she started reading while the words were written across the page.

_ Jojo, _

_ I accepted long ago that you probably aren’t reading these letters, but here I am still writing this one. A lot has happened since I wrote the last one. The main thing being, I found a way to prevent the Merge thanks to Freya. Of course, the first thing I did was to book a flight so that I could bring it to you. Like I said in my one letter, I didn’t have anyone telling me it was a bad idea. The main reason I’m hoping you read this letter is because I’m currently sitting outside the gates of the school, which is dumb I know since I know you don’t read these, but theres a part of me that hopes you do. And that part of me is the exact reason as to why I’m sitting here, hoping you read this letter as I write it. I do have a backup plan of going to a hotel if you don’t show up, but I’m giving that until midnight and then I’ll leave. _

_ Love, _

_ Penelope _

_ P.S. I hope you do show up, because it’s surprisingly cold and I wasn’t prepared for it, so if I you showed up quickly, that would be great. _

As soon as she finished reading, Josie looked at her clock and saw that it was already eleven fifty, which gave her ten minutes to get to Penelope. Quickly getting up, she grabbed one of her hoodies and started briskly walking out of the school. As soon as she stepped outside, she realized what Penelope had meant by it being cold. Crossing her arms in an attempt to get warm, Josie continued walking towards the gates of the school. In the distance she could hear what was probably a party at the Old Mill, and she rolled her eyes at how students always found an excuse to party. During the rest of her walk, her thoughts were taken up by Penelope and as she approached the gates she could see Penelope starting to get up and prepare to leave.

“Hey there stranger, have you seen anyone who fits the characteristics of being obnoxious, selfish, and evil?” Josie called out knowing that it would get Penelope to stop, and she was right. Penelope had stopped as soon as she had heard her voice. Josie quickly closed the final few feet between her and the gate before stopping and waiting for Penelope to say something.

Turning around, Penelope found herself looking right at Josie, the girl she had left back in April. Deciding to play into whatever it was Josie was trying to get at, she replied, “I believe you’re looking at the person you were seeking.”

Josie smiled at Penelope before saying, “Good, now come on in here. I know you know the gate code.”

“You’re not wrong,” Penelope replied, as she bent over to type in the code on the keypad. When she had succeeded, she walked through the open gate which Josie closed behind her, then the two turned so they were facing each other. Not allowing Josie to say anything, Penelope asked, “You read my letter?”

“I actually read them all,” Josie admitted and then added, “I didn’t at first, but then I found your journal tonight, and I read them all.” Unsure of what else to do, she held out her hoodie, “Here, I know you said you were cold, so I brought this.”

Putting the hoodie on, Penelope inquired, “So you know why I’m here?”

Smiling at Penelope, Josie answered with, “Yeah I do, but there’s one thing I have to do and say before we get into that.”

“And what’s that?” Penelope curiously asked, completely stumped at what it was Josie had in mind.

Shifting closer to Penelope, Josie murmured, “This.” With that she leaned forward, closing her eyes as she kissed Penelope. She smiled slightly when Penelope kissed her back, and it was at that moment that Josie felt at home. She had forgotten how nice it was to kiss Penelope, and she mentally noted that it felt much more right than it had kissing Landon. Everything about Penelope was right, and Josie wasn’t going to let Penelope go again.

Penelope was the one to pull away first so she could ask, “You said you had something to say, what was that?”

Placing her forehead on Penelope’s, Josie replied with adoration in her voice, “I love you so much.”

Tears formed in Penelope’s eyes as she replied as her voice threatened to crack, “I love you too, Jojo.”

**Author's Note:**

> Josie and Penelope are soulmates, there's no argument about it. Come yell on me on Twitter @posieclown


End file.
